The Last Night
by Kristta
Summary: The Death Eaters are looking for answers and they think the Longbottoms hold the key. One shot.


It was a crisp November night and Alice was sitting on the small raggedy couch in the house her and Frank shared. It wasn't a huge place, just a small three bedroom house that was in need of tender love and care. But that was why they chose it, they could make it their own and expand it with their family, which had already been in talks of growing once again. They had purchased the place when she was almost ready to give birth to Neville since their flat in London was far too small for them, let alone a baby. And they needed a better place to hide since they were top wanted figures being Aurors. Of course Alice gave that up, too afraid of anyone watching Neville because you didn't know just who you could trust. There was a rat in the Order so the only one she truly trusted aside from Frank was Dumbledore and she doubted he would be available for babysitting duty.

Curling Neville tighter to her chest she looked out the window toward the walkway waiting for Frank to get home. Even though Neville had been fussing most of the day, the minute Alice scooped him up into her arms and began to sing quietly in his ear twirling about the living room he was asleep. He would of course be up when Frank got home, she swore the boy was tuned to the sound of the front door lock popping. Every day when Frank returned for lunch, Neville could be fast asleep, playing, or throwing a fit and all would cease as Daddy walked in the door and he would instantly reach above his head to be picked up.

Smiling contently as Neville twisted in her arms, she brushed the back of her finger against his cheek, giving a small laugh as his little hand wrapped around her finger. His innocence and his freedom is what kept her going through all of this. After the death of Lily and James, and poor Harry being sent off to his aunt and uncles, everyone thought they were free. She had a feeling that everyone was wrong, the death eaters were still out there and would stop at nothing to continue what Voldemort started...if he was even dead which Alice thought was highly unlikely. Frank seemed to agree with her notion and they still lived in secrecy even two weeks after the fact.

She wasn't sure how long she had dozed for, but she awoke when Neville started to whine in her ear clearly agitated. Blinking a few times she pushed the knitted blue blanket off her legs and sat up gathering her senses. Thinking Frank was home, Alice looked to the window with a smile, expecting to see him coming up their cracked stone path. But instead she saw other figures there, four of them to be exact. Her first instinct was to grab her wand but it was upstairs so she ran for it, trying to ignore the loud pitched whistling of the sneakoscope on the fireplace mantle.

 **"Shh, mummy is right here,"** Alice said her voice shaking as she set Neville in his crib. There was a blast that vibrated the floor under her feet, and a loud crash that followed; they had blown out the front door. _**"Dada!"**_ Neville wailed as he grabbed at his crib bars, tears streaking down his face. **"Daddy will be home soon, I promise,"** Alice tried to assure him as she leaned down and kissed his forehead pushing the hair off his forehead. **"I'll be right back...here hold onto Geoffry he will keep you company,"** she said as she gave him a bright blue stuffed pygmy puff that he had since he was born. Her fake cheery voice seemed to work well enough for now and he clung to Geoffry, sucking on his nose as he did so, keeping his watery brown eyes...Franks eyes, locked on her. **"Mommy will be right back,"** she assured him though she felt it were likes as she wiped away a few stray tears from his face.

Backing out of the room she looked at him one last time before shutting the door and sealing the room. She could hear him shrieking 'mama' as she set up the silencing charm and her heart broke as his voice was cut off mid yell for her. The last spell was set on the door as footsteps traipsed up the steps, with laughter echoing around the hallway. **"Al-ice,"** a female voice taunted as Alice ran to her and Frank's bedroom. Where was she going to go? She couldn't exactly just apparate, there were charms on the place, and she wasn't going to just run for it leaving Neville and Frank to walk into this. **_"Allll-ice,"_** the woman called again as her companions cackled behind her.

She was an Auror. She was part of the Order. She could do this. Even if she felt alone,weak, and completely vulnerable. Her and Frank had been a team, ever since they met at work. The very first day of her training walking into the Auror department feeling as if she were too small and out of her element for a job such at this. Frank had approached her with a friendly smile and advice and even if Alice shrank away from him at first she went to him for advice from time to time because had been so sweet. Then of course in the Order they spent time together and grew close, sharing time that should have normally been spent at home on couches they were together on steak outs and planning things. Alice had been attacked less than a year into her adult life and she felt herself falling to pieces but Frank had been there just as he had been before; as a friendly face with advice and a warm hand. Since then they had been thick as thieves.

But now, now she was completely alone and she was properly scared, there hadn't been very many times in her life that she wanted to be sick from fear, or feel like she couldn't stand, but this was one of them.

Brandishing her wand as the steps came closer to her door, she held her head up high and waited for them to burst in. It wasn't with as much flair as the front door had been, but instead they just clicked it open and Alice watched the hollow wooden door creak open to reveal Bellatrix LeStrange, Black as she knew her in school, standing here. Behind her was her husband and brother law as well as Bartimus Crouch. All people she went to school with, people she argued with pettily in the hallways and dueled in life or death fights when they all became adults. **_"There you are!"_** Bellatrix practically cooed as she slipped in the room like she owned the place. It was obvious she was leading this little group because the other three goons just stood back grinning.

Alice didn't move as Bellatrix picked up a wedding photo of her and Frank off her nightstand and traced her finger down the side of Franks face before looking back up at her. **_"Where is your dear husband?"_** Bellatrix asked cocking her head to the side, a smirk playing on her lips. **_"We were hoping to talk to him too, maybe we should just wait...we have no where else to be,"_** she taunted looking over at the other men who shook their heads no in agreement. Slipping past the bed Bellatrix went over to the dresser and grabbed a photo of Neville in his high chair throwing spaghetti all over the place and laughing. **_"I heard the wee one crying before. Where are you hiding him? Surely not under the bed,"_** the woman asked before cackling and kicking at the bed-skirt with her foot.

 **"You leave him alone,"** Alice hissed finally glaring at Bellatrix not bothering with the rest of the boys who instantly puffed up at her change of attitude and tone.

 ** _"Or what?"_** Bellatrix asked clearly amused, using her free hand to wave down the boys. **_"Going to foolishly sacrifice yourself for the baby like that filthy mudblood?"_** She asked dangerously taking a few steps closer to Alice, only pausing when Alice raised her wand a few inches threateningly.

 **"That** ** _mudblood's_** **son killed Voldemort,"** Alice snapped. The wounds were still fresh at the loss of her best friend, and it took alot of strength to not cry at the thought of Lily. Obviously that had not set well with the group because Alice heard them shift, and saw the flash of anger in Bellatrix's eyes.

 ** _"He isn't dead,"_** Bellatrix hissed, her voice dangerously low as she stepped forward, not flinching as Alice's wand dug into her stomach.

Alice could have easily killed her there, she was angry and hurt enough to do it. But she didn't because of Neville, if she killed Bellatrix they would kill her then go for her son. **"No? Then where is he?"** Alice asked keeping her eyes locked on the woman.

 ** _"We came here to find out,"_** Bellatrix said stepping back after a moment raising her wand to point at the very center of Alice's chest. **_"Where is he?"_** She asked, the madness in her eyes prominent now as she stared at her with a cocked head.

Alice stood quietly as she stared back not looking at the wand, even though her heart was racing and her mind was screaming at her to run. She didn't know the answer, but she thought if she kept Bellatrix busy long enough Frank would be home and could alert the Order.

 ** _"I asked you,"_** Bellatrix said before using the cruciatus curse on her, **_"Where is he?"_**

The curse felt like fire was racing up and down her skin, as if it was inside of her head melting her away. She screamed at the pain as she fell to the floor, her back arching up off the ground as her muscles tensed as tightly as they would go. Crucio was a curse she had felt before, but it never got better over many exposures, it was still just as painful as the last.

Smiling a bit, Bellatrix dropped down to her knees by Alice's head and pushed some of the hair off her forehead in an almost motherly way. **_"Where is he?"_** she asked petting her cheek absently as she glared. **_"I know you know. What happened to him? How did a_** **baby** ** _rid of him? Hmm?"_**

Turning her head away from Bellatrix's hand, Alice laid panting on the ground, her wand out now out of her reach as she laid there. Her body felt like lead, and her voice was raw from the agonizing scream, **"I don't know."** Alice said after a moment, flinching when Bellatrix smacked her across the cheek.

 _ **"Lies,"**_ she hissed before inflicting the curse one her once again.

Somewhere in the distance she heard someone yell her name. It was hard to tell if she was just imagining it or not since it sounded like it was coming from underwater, and the pain...the pain was unbearable. She couldn't think about anything but the pain. But there it was again, it was closer, and louder. **"Frank!"** Alice screamed out after a moment, breaking the constant shrieks emitting from her lips. He was home. **"No!'** she yelled out as she saw two of the men dart from the door from her half-lidded eyes to go find him.

 _ **"Perhaps we can ask him, hmm?"**_ Bellatrix cooed as she pushed up from the floor where she had sat observing Alice writhing on the floor. **_"Maybe he can tell us."_**

Alice laid on the floor as Bellatrix left the room, and she stared at a pair of feet the door for a while before the wandered away as well. She was too weak to move but she still tried, willing her hands to push her up off the floor to get up and get her wand and go to Frank. But she couldn't. Her body wouldn't obey her mind, which felt fuzzy and out of place.

Then his screaming started. Hoarsely Alice tried to yell out 'no' and 'stop', but it came out in nothing more then a whisper. Tears were streaking down her face, and she couldn't even get her hand up to wipe them away. She felt completely useless and pathetic, and the anger that swept through her at her lack of ability was overwhelming, and her tears soon turned to frustrated ones. It seemed to go on forever, pausing for brief moments as they questioned him before starting up once again.

 **"Frank..."** Alice cried as she tilted her head to look up toward the cracked door when everything fell silent. He couldn't be dead...he couldn't. She shifted her feet, digging the heels of her feet into the carpet to push herself closer to the door when it banged open. Wincing away from the sudden noise, the sound echoing in her ears much longer then it should of, she looked up to see the men dragging Frank in, his feet bouncing weakly against the floor trying to get their footing.

They threw him to the ground next to her and Alice stared at Franks eyes which seemed to be dazed and far off. **"Frank...please Frank,"** Alice begged as she inched her head closer to him grasping weakly at his hand which laid half-haphazardly by her own. She couldn't get her fingers to work properly and instead she gripped onto his ring finger like a small-child would, rubbing her thumb over his wedding ring. _"I love you,"_ she whispered as his eyes finally met hers.

Their was a faint smile on his lips as he looked at her running his thumb across the back of her hand. He didn't speak, but he didn't need too, Alice knew he understood, and he was saying it back without words.

 _ **"This is very touching and all, but I don't have time for this,"**_ Bellatrix said after a moment. The agitation and frustration in her voice was evident and she kicked at Alice's side attempting to get her attention. **_"Look at me,"_** she demanded, but Alice wouldn't peel her eyes away from Frank. **_"Look at,"_** she said before cursing her again, _**"me."**_.

The last word fell on deaf ears as Alice convulsed up off the floor again, the all too familiar pain racing through her body. As she twisted on the floor though, her grip on Frank's finger only grew tighter and she felt him hold back as Rodolphus attacked him again.

Their screams rose up into the night, but they didn't let up on the curse this time obviously growing bored of the interrogation. It was just a constant shock to their bodies, and the quartet of people just seemed to laugh as they watch their captives slowly wither away before their eyes. The tensing started to grow visibly weaker after the constant wear on their muscles, and the screams were dying in their throats with each passing second until everything was silent and nearly still.

It was obvious now that they were getting no information from the Longbottoms and the curses were lifted when the amusement died. Without another word the group left the now broken couple on the ground still barely holding onto one another as they stared off into space at nothing at all. Their eyes were unfocused as they searched the area around them, and Alice could feel something touching her hand, but she didn't pull away. It felt...nice and comforting even though she didn't know who it was there next to her on the ground.

A flash of green filled the room for a moment as someone performed the Morsmorde spell before slipping off into the night. Alice blinked at the sudden light and let out a small little mumble of a noise when she tried to turn her head to get a better look at the man laying next to her. It had hurt and she muttered again when he tried to pull his hand away from her tightening her grip. She wanted it there, she liked holding onto it, something about it felt vaguely familiar.

He didn't try to pull away again as he stared back at her. They sat there for a long time watching one another, completely unaware that people were gathering around the house, and that members of the Order were yelling downstairs for them. They were too wrapped up in their own world watching one another, trying to figure out just who the other person, and who they themselves were. How had they gotten here? And where exactly was _here_?

Time didn't seem to matter to the woman and man that barely held hands on the floor. The life they once had was gone. Alice no longer knew that she was infact married to this stranger on the floor next to her, that they had promised their lives completely to one another and were deeply in love. Or that the little boy that was now purple in the face screaming for his mother and father in the room next door was hers.

The only thing she did know was that she was in pain, and she liked the feel of the cool metal of his ring between her fingers.


End file.
